Polycarbonates comprise a broad class of durable materials widely used both as commodity plastics and engineering plastics due to a number of advantageous features including temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties. Polycarbonates are utilized throughout the electronics, construction, data storage, automotive, aeronautical, security, medical and telecommunications industries, among others. Polycarbonates are primarily synthesized from bisphenol A (BPA) and phosgene, which account for an annual production of about 1 billion kilograms. Many other polycarbonate synthesis mechanisms exist, with the underlying commonality being a synthetic scheme involving a diol (i.e., a compound comprising two hydroxyl groups, or polyol, and phosgene, phosgene derivatives, or isocyanates.
All such synthetic methods are detrimental to the environment and the health and safety of workers due to the toxic nature of the phosgene, phosgene derivatives, and isocyanates. Further, BPA is a harmful pollutant, even in spite of its low soil half-life, and has been linked to numerous adverse health effects.